Gushing Over Science

This is big for me, you guys!  The gushing part, that is!  Especially over science.  Most of you who know me or have been around Family, Faith and Fridays for a while know I don't LOVE science.  OK, in the past I found a few programs for younger kids I admit were fairly fun to use, but as they aged into higher levels, the fun was done!

Especially when it come to Apologia.  I have "taught" it to three kiddos already.  I have liked the process less every time.  But here's the thing- I still think it is one of the best science programs out there at a solid college prep level.

 

This is the year I hit the point of no more fun, time to buckle down with Apologia.  And I almost cried.  I even had visions of my husband teaching it while teaching college classes at the same time.  Just saying- that was a nope.

And then I am pretty sure God showed great mercy on me.

A sweet friend reminded me of a program online she had used with her daughter and is now using with her son called Science on Demand.  (thanks Michelle) She promised she thought it would help me, and well, I jumped.  'cause I was desperate, ya'll.

It is a buy it and watch it kind of program.  Mrs. Frates, the teacher, taught the separate Apologia courses at a co op and recorded her sessions.  You pay for the course, and then have access to those sessions and her schedule for a year.  Totally self paced!  

And she teaches from a Creation Scientist worldview! 

So some days we watch her lectures. (most are broken down into two, 30ish minute sessions for each module).  Other days there is a list of what the assigned reading and questions are, to include lab prep. 

 

 

LABS!!  Yes, I knew you would ask. Yes, they are in there.  She does all the labs you need in class so you are able to watch along. She tells you how to write up a lab, two parts which you do before you watch, and two that you complete after the experiment.   

 

 

Why is this important to me?

Because some states, Arizona being one of them, not only want you to have three sciences WITH labs, but want you as a homeschooler to PROVE you have had such classes by way of submitting lab write ups during the admission process. (don't even get me started!)  When we first moved here this was a real issue for us with our oldest son, as we had done the classes, but had not kept tons of lab records.

Our experience-

OK, so Colby is an 8th grader, age 13, taking Physical Science.  He was to first read Module 1, take note, and prepare for the first labs and THEN watch the lectures.  He read the first chapter and was panicked!  In his defense, so was I!  Not sure if it was just the sheer volume of info Apologia gives, or the info itself and how it is presented, but already I was pretty sure we were not going to get too far in this course.  

 

And then came the video!

And we were saved!

Oh my word, I cannot say enough about Mrs. Frates.  She is clever, articulate, entertaining, smart, and connects with her students.  Even the ones who are watching a video recorded several years ago.  And we got it!  The info we read came alive and made sense. 

And still does, now 4 modules in.  Does it take thought sometimes? Yes!  But every time we watch the video following the reading I see a light bulb go off in my son's head.  He gets it!

And his three 100's and one 96 on the tests show it!   It is Colby's favorite part of the day now.

Now THAT is a product I can gush over!

Watch out next year, Biology.  I, I mean Colby, is going to master you!

Blessings,

*This is not a paid endorsement in any way!  Just one homeschooling momma sharing a success with others.

Apologia's Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition Review

I am going to admit to you that I have never been a huge fan of health curriculum.  The same old "brush your teeth, get enough sleep, and don't forget to use deodorant" gets old and redundant year after year, and quite frankly seems a bit silly to me.  But of course, when Apologia Educational Ministries came out with their new high school curriculum, Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition by Doctor Laura Chase, I was intrigued.  It is Apologia so I figured it had to be worth looking into.  I was right!

We received the Health and Nutrition Basic Set to review which includes the textbook and student notebook. Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition is a 441 page hard back text book full of full color illustrations.  It is composed of 15 Modules and is intended for a full year study of health and nutrition.  Each module is broken into sections divided by On Your Own questions, which are meant to help review what the student just read.  The answers to the On Your Own questions are supplied at the end of each module.  Sprinkled throughout the reading are Think About This sections that delve in a little deeper with fun or interesting facts.  Think of them as commercial breaks.  You will also find Projects, (think of them as the "experiments") throughout the readings, allowing the student to think about or even work out the information they are learning.

Modules include-

• Who Am I and Why Does Health Matter?
• Physical Influences on Thoughts and Feelings
• Mental and Emotional Stability
• Interpersonal Harmony
• Treasuring Your Senses
• Processing Nourishment and Hydration
• Food Science I- Macronutrients
• Food Science II- Micronutrients
• Let's Look at What You Eat
• Delivering the Oxygen
• Let's Move
• You're Stronger Than You Look
• At War With Infection
• Peace in Difficult Times
• The Gift of Reproduction

 

The accompanying student notebook is loaded with amazing stuff and is an integral part of this program.  You can purchase additional student notebooks if you have more than one student using the program. Each module has a place for note taking, places where the book module questions can be answered, places to complete the projects, and study guides to fill out for test preparation.  Exams for each module are found in the back of the student notebook, and the answers can be accessed from the books extra site.  Most important in my opinion is the Suggested Daily Schedule found in the student notebook.  Assignments are listed to be completed three days a week for 32 weeks.  This includes the readings, On Your Own sections, projects, study guides and exams.  If you decide to work though the program daily, it can be completed in a semester.

Apologia also offers a free activity book, Whole-Health: God's Design for Your Body, Mind, and Soul, that you can download to enhance your learning.

Please note- Apologia is a Christian based vendor.  Because health can address some hot topics, this is one of the many things I appreciate about this curriculum.  From their FAQs concerning this program-

We have worked hard to provide information in both medical and Christian terms so that

controversy may be minimal. We do not openly support any one main view because we recognize

that each family has the right to decide what is right for its family members.

How We Used It and What We Thought-
Ok, I still may think most health curriculum is a bit silly, but not this one!  WOW! Because of our recent cross country move and crazy transition we are only three weeks in, none the less it is still a WOW! I am impressed, and yes, we are still currently using this as a high school health credit for Salem, my 16 year old 11th grader.  It is well laid out and easy for him to follow alone, so he just checks the suggested schedule and completes the assignments on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Taking notes is something fairly new to my son, so I am thrilled that the student notebook has a dedicated space for that, and he is thrilled that all other work can be done in the same notebook.  Organization is important to him and so not having multiple composition books for one subject makes him happy.

I love that Apologia chose to begin the study with intriguing subject matter and projects that would appeal to a teenager.  One of the first things discussed is personalities and then you take a temperament test.  This we did together, as it asks to have someone confirm your results. We were so interested in Salem's results that we decided the whole family should take the test.  Trust me when I say it can prompt some pretty interesting family discussions!

While we are clearly not at the end of this study, I do want to address the last chapter on Reproduction for just a moment.  Let me be clear in saying this is intended for a mature teen.  Reproduction is discussed honestly and with pictures of the male and female reproduction systems.  Virginity, pornography and STDs are also discussed.  This may be a chapter you choose to work through with your teenager if you are uncomfortable with them doing it alone.

Also from their FAQs-

We also want to make sure that parents are aware that we respectfully cover other issues such

as drug abuse, pornography, and the act of marriage. We live in a culture polluted by sexual

dysfunction. It is our intent to tell the truth to teens about the beauty of married sex, the developing

baby, and being parents. We want to warn them about the dalliance into immodesty, pornography,

and casual sexual activity. This is why we have stated that mature students should take this course.

Parents have every right, and we support their decision, to skip certain materials in the book. 

 
I did think I could use this curriculum with both of my boys at one time since our second son is a 6th grader and reads at a high level.  That being said, we did the first week together, reading out loud, and then chose to allow our 11th grader to continue without his younger brother.  While I have no doubt the younger brother would have gotten some things out of the information, much of it was over his head.  It is because of that and some of the material in The Gift of Reproduction module, that I recommend you sticking with this program for your high schoolers only.  

Honestly, it is no surprise to me that we love and will continue to use Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition for the rest of the school year.  Apologia Educational Ministries is a wonderful homeschooling resource and has never let us down!
 

Astronomy at It's Best

In our house, Science takes many forms.  Through the 19 years of homeschooling we have done, we have used several different programs.  Each of our kids learn quite differently and therefore I try to be flexible with what we use.  That is hard for this type A mom who likes things all the same, all the time.   We also school year round which has us starting and stopping subjects at various times during the year and often looking for filler programs to round out the year.

I have used Apologia science for many years - if they have published it, I own it.  There have been times that I just wasn't up to using the older levels, but my kids always love using the younger levels.  I was blessed to get the newest updated version of Exploring Creation with Astronomy so I decided to work through it Colby, my 9 year old. (4th grader)  This is my favorite of the Exploring Creation series and I knew my space loving boy would enjoy it.

Because he is a hands on learner, I decided to break down and buy the kit they have made to go with the projects.  Despite the price, I am SO GLAD I did!

This kit has EVERYTHING!  I mean it, it is simply amazing.  We have completed many projects and so far have not needed anything from our own stash except for recyclables when we built a mars station and a robot.  If it calls for paper, paper is provided.  If it calls for food coloring, it is provided.  The best thing is all supplies are packaged in separate bags and labeled for each project.  The exception is anything that is used for multiple projects.  Also included are common items you will need like markers, scissors, a stop watch, a flashlight, tape measure, hole puncher, tape, glue and more.  Hence the price.  And hence why I love it and think it is worth every penny!  Call me crazy, but if I do not have to go searching for supplies or running to a craft store last minute, I am sold. 

And then there is the updated book and the notebooking journal.  Wow!  I love the new version.  It is as colorful as ever, but seems to just be more organized and easier to read.  Apologia books offer a lot of information and could sometimes bog us down, but they seem to have addressed that issue and cleaned things up a bit.  Author Jeannie Fulbright is such a joy to read and her love for science and, more importantly to us, her love for the Lord are obvious in everything she writes.  Scripture is referenced often and God is praised for His creation!

 A daily schedule can be found in the front of the student notebook for easy reference.  We are using the junior level which includes notebooking pages, mini books, crossword puzzles, scripture copy work, and more.  Each day the schedule tells you what sections to read in the book, what pages to cover in the notebook, and any projects related to that day.  

CJ colors just to get it done, but I wanted you to see this level of notebook.

One most certainly does not have to do the projects in the lab notebook that comes with the kit to learn the information, but boy are they fun.  I admit we have skipped one or two for time's sake, but much to the despair of my son.  This is what he looks forward to every day.  I am NOT a project person, but I admit these have been easy enough for even me, yet challenging enough to stretch his brain and challenge him.  Some of his favorites have included making the solar system, talking about the volcanoes on Venus, making an edible earth, and making a compass.  Ice cream making is coming up soon- I know because he keeps telling me!

Depending on how many days a week you do science, you can complete this program in a half year or a year.  We are working through at a daily pace with no problem, but you may want to only do 2-3 days a week with younger children so as not to overwhelm them.

Project for the day?  Studying space rocks!

Off we go!

Blessings,

*This is NOT a paid review.  Just a homeschooling mom sharing what works for her!*

Apologia iWitness- TOS Review

Apologia Education Ministries is at it again!  This time with a new, AMAZING series that you are going to love!  Trust me on this!

We have had the pleasure of reading iWitness Biblical Archaeology ($14.00), Old Testament iWitness ($14.00) and New Testament iWitness ($14.00).  These little books, about 60 pages each,  pack a punch and are ideal for family reading as well as for children ages 11 and up if reading independently.  Our family has done a little of both.  Two of my kids grabbed the one they were most interested in and ran to their rooms with it.  Because we have nightly family devotions, we have also been able to read a few parts of them as a family as well as use them as a quick reference when a specific conversation came up during our nightly Bible reading.

Where should you start?  Probably at the beginning, I would say.  Old Testament iWitness does just that.  This book covers topics like the Septuagint, the Torah, Major and Minor prophets, Dead Sea Scrolls and more.  There is some fascinating stuff packed into this little book!  Like did you know that when original Bible manuscripts were copied they made sure there were always 30 characters on each line, or that when a copy of the Hebrew Bible was damaged or replaced it was buried in a special ceremony?  Or that prophets could never be wrong when they foretold something or they would be stoned to death?





Where to next?  How about the New Testament.  This portion of scripture is probably more familiar to most Christians, but there is still so much to learn.  Who was Athanasius?  Who was Eusebius?  What books were rejected from the New Testament and why?  And most importantly, how do we know these things?











Often the world uses archaeology to argue against the Bible.  Sad, but true.  In  iWitness Biblical Archaeology, however, Doug Powell uses information about archaeology discoveries to show there are many reasons to trust the claims of scriptures.  Filled with beautiful photographs bound to capture the interest of any reader, Powell talks about the flood and search for Noah's Ark (our favorite part), Old Testament History and the artifacts found that support that history, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the New Testament and what the world was like during the time that Jesus walked the earth.  Fascinating info, I tell ya!




Our Thoughts-
We really have enjoyed these books a lot, but I found that we enjoyed them more when we read them individually rather than as a read aloud.  They are over the head of my 7 year old, even when he is just listening so the family time reading just did not happened as often as I had hoped it would.  They are filled with great information and I love that the author does not insert his opinion or other ramblings.  He simply presents the facts and where he got them from.  According  to my Bible- major daughter, they are scripturally sound and are not based off myths, legends or one man's sole opinion.  Because I like them so much, I am going to make them required reading for part of our Bible credit in school!  Though some information we may already be familiar with, there is a ton we were not.

Some of my favorite parts of the Old Testament and New Testament books were the sections that talked about how Bibles were copied.  The detail described reminds me of how it is nothing short of miraculous that we even have access to Bibles all over the world.  It also reminded me of how blessed we are to have had people that dedicated their lives to accurately copying the Bible so that we could have that access.  How thankful we should be.

My main complaint-
Though these books are lovely to look at when you first open them up, we found them quite difficult to read. The pages are laid out in a scrapbook form, which makes them visually distracting, in my opinion. Rather than written in a book form, there are multiple sections devoted to different subjects.  While I did not have a problem with those short snippets, as I find they hold younger children's attention more readily, what I did have a problem with was that each section was written in a different font. And fancy ones at that!   The fonts do seem to fit the time period in which you are reading about, but we found many of them cluttered and difficult to read.  One of my daughters noted that there was just not enough white space to make reading pleasurable.  My 12 year old had difficulty with it especially. For those that are visual learners I would be willing to bet this layout would be very distracting.  I would love to see Apologia clean up the pages a little as to not distract from such wonderful reads!

On a whole, we love Apologia's new iWitnness series and highly recommend it!  You can hear an interview with author, Doug Powell, that will give you a feel for his heart behind this new series. Two more books in the series are due out in 2015- iWitness World Religions and iWitness Heresies and Cults.

You can find Apologia-
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
 Twitter – https://twitter.com/apologiaworld 
 Google+ - https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125/posts
 Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/apologia/

What on Earth Can I Do?- TOS Crew review

Apologia Educational Ministries again?  Yes!  And YAY!  We have been anxiously awaiting the fourth book in their Biblical worldview series and were blessed to be able to review it once again.  Here's what we received:

What on Earth Can I Do? (hardback book) -$39.00
What on Earth Can I Do? (notebooking journal) - $24.00
What on Earth Can I Do?  (coloring book) - $8.00
What on Earth Can I Do?  (Junior notebooking journal) - $24.00

Before I gush and brag on it all (you know I will right?) let me give you a quick glance at what each are.  Then I will gush and brag!


What on Earth Can I Do? is the fourth book in Apologia's Biblical What We Believe worldview series, geared for grades 1st- 6th. This 294 page hardback book, covering 8 lessons, is simply amazing and beautiful.  While helping to teach children that they are fearfully and wonderfully made, this book covers the truths-

• Your life is a beautifully crafted story written by God
• God owns everything and we are His stewards
• We need to be faithful stewards
• We need to put God first- before money and possessions
• God expects us to invest our time wisely, making prayer and the Bible priority
• My life and my body belong to God
• Jesus is returning and we need to be prepared by living for Him now

Each chapter is broken down into multiple sections to include-
The Big Idea which introduces the main topic,
What Will You Do which states the learning objective,
A Short Story which features kids that are of similar ages as yours,
Think About It containing comprehension questions,
Words You Need to Know introduces vocabulary,
Hide It in Your Heart identifies two specific memory verses,
Integrated Learning sections introduce related topics,
What Should I Do? concentrates on character traits,
Prayer which is just what it says,
Parables of Jesus are adapted stories from the Bible,
Going Deeper contains more discussion questions,
 and House of Truth is a a four part memory aid model.

What on Earth Can I Do? notebooking journal is a companion activity guide for your children to use.  While not mandatory, it is a beautiful spiral bound notebook with places for journaling, answering questions, prayer report,s and additional activities. By the end of your study you've created a quality keepsake.  Each lesson in the notebooking journal is followed by a Find Out More page that has additional things to do, as well as a song list, book list, and movie list.

The What on Earth Can I Do? Junior notebooking journal is for slightly younger children who are not as proficient in writing, and therefore has more coloring activities and less writing required.  It allows younger students to "work" like their older counterparts without being bogged down with too much work.  Scripture memory work is in print, word finds are in larger fonts, and crossword puzzles are more basic.

The What on Earth Can I Do? coloring book is just that.  A corresponding coloring book with large pictures that correspond to the lessons.

How did we use this?

I was so excited to be able to really use this as a team this time around.  In the past, my youngest son often sat in and listened to our reading, but was not a true participant.  Because he has just finished 1st grade, I felt like he was ready to truly join in this time.  I loved being able to teach my two boys Biblical Worldview together! Apologia offers several ideas for scheduling.  In the book is a 2 day a week schedule that allows you to complete a lesson in three weeks, and the notebooks each offer a simple day by day schedule.  We decided to use those schedules, doing three assignments a week and therefore completing a chapter in 2 weeks.  For each of those mornings, I would just check the schedule in the notebook for the assignments and start right in.  Because we used both the notebook and junior notebook, I did have to do a quick glance at each of the separate lesson plans, as they differ slightly for separate levels.  Many of the activities are similar and could be done at the same time, while a few are slightly different due to age and maturity level with reading and writing.  We did not find this to be a problem though.

Often while I would read, I would have our youngest color the pages in his notebook.  We found that we did not use the separate coloring book as many of the pictures were the same ones offered in the junior notebook.  I would be willing to guess that if I had been dealing with a girl, every single picture would have been colored! ;)  My oldest son chose to do his activities after I was done reading as he felt like he got distracted trying to do two things at one.  Sometimes there are natural breaks in the reading that will allow you time to do a specific activity and we used those when needed.  

Heads up- some days are reading heavy.  Not all, but a few- especially the story that is woven throughout the book (one of my boys' favorite parts) and the scripture reading. On those days we often moved from the table to the couch to take advantage of snuggle time.

Our thoughts-
Well, of course, we loved it, because truthfully there is nothing that Apologia puts out that is not exceptional.  The What We Believe series is no exception! While each of the books in the series can stand alone, I do recommend that you read them in order.  Because we homeschool, I love the notebooks for additional writing and eventually as a keepsake of our journey, but I do believe that any family would be blessed to read through these books, even without using the notebooks! I asked my oldest son which book he preferred and he said this one. Bet I can guess why...

Each of the four books in the What We Believe series centers around a story for the book's theme.  World War Two is covered in this book.  What boy doesn't like reading about war?  While a pretty deep topic, I felt it was handled in such a way that was appropriate for the age recommendation.  Along the way you learn about heroes of that time such as Corrie Ten Boom. One thing I do feel like I should caution you about is that in talking about Joseph and Potiphar the word rape is used. (p.104)  I only tell you that so you can replace with a different phrase if you are reading to younger children and are uncomfortable with that wording.

I love that numerous History lessons are sprinkled throughout the reading as well as scripture.  The boys really enjoyed learning about people like Charlie Chaplin and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who were both new to them, as well as following the fictitious story of brother and sister Colin and Jenny, and their WW2 experiences.  "Just like Narnia!" said the 7 year old child who has NOT seen the movie!

If you have not had the opportunity to check out What on Earth Can I Do?  and the What We Believe series I highly recommend them.  My family has been blessed by them for several years now and expanded our worldview knowledge by leaps and bounds.  I look forward to starting over with the series next year so my youngest can cover them all!


You can find Apologia here-
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
Twitter – https://twitter.com/apologiaworld 
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125/posts
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/apologia/

Our Growing Zoo

Wow!  The last time I gave you a homeschool science update, we were just finishing up Lessons 1 and 2 of Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology 3- Land Animals of the Sixth Day, I think!  This week, we will be finishing up Lesson 7 so I wanted to do a quick update.

We have now covered Carnivores, Felines, Marsupials, Primates and Rodents (yuck!) and will be crossing the half way point of the book after next week.  See, a growing zoo, I tell 'ya!  Let me tell you what we have done...a LOT of reading!  I forgot how much there is to read in these books when you have a child who is just not ready to read on their own, or even really share in the reading yet.  CJ is a first grader reading at a 2nd grade level, but there are just too many higher level words to pronounce.  Hey, I cannot even pronounce half of them! ;)  So anyway, we read three to four days a week to cover a chapter and then usually spend the next week doing the activities.

The notebooking has slowed down for us a little as well, again because of CJ's age.  He does tell me things he remembers and I write them down, but most of the time even that is like pulling teeth.  Why?  Because all he wants to do is this-

 And this-

Yes, that is a possum playing dead!

  And this-

Can you see the resemblance?  ;)

And this!

Seriously!  All the boy wants to do is make the animals for his zoo.  And so EVERY day, oh, who am I kidding, every MINUTE he asks "Can I make an animal yet?"  So that is what we do.  Not all of them even end up in the zoo box because, quite frankly there is not enough room.  We were using clay at first but he was not satisfied with animals that were not the correct colors, so this past week the playdough came out.  wheeee!  I am now also counting this as art time, because I can! ;)

I do love Apologia Science!  But, it is hard work sometimes.  Worth it, but hard work none the less!

Oh, and my 6th grader is still working through his Exploring Creation With Chemistry and Physics, and YES, he still loves it!  I only have one experiment picture for you this time, as we have found that many are done on YouTube and we have resorted to watching them.  Let's face it, it is the lazy way of doing things, but does save dad's money and mom's stress!  I will take it for now and he has resigned himself to it. When dad is off for a few days at Christmas we will do a few "live" experiments with him!

Other news in school- CJ passed his first level of All About Spelling.  If you are new to this program give it a try!  This is the only child I have used it with, and maybe it is just a fluke (doubt it!) but he is a GREAT speller!  We started level two this week.  Here he is with his certificate that is now on the fridge.  Anyone want to tell me when the fake smile stage is done?  haha

So that's where we are.  Well, we have plenty of other subjects we are working on,


but that is all I will bore you with today.  Two more weeks of school here and then we are taking off a few for the holidays.  Can't wait- this momma needs a break!

Have a blessed week!